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'11 Sluggish At Low Speeds

jvbronco

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jvbronco Enthusiast

jvbronco

Posted
Posted

I've googled and searched this site with no luck finding anything relevant to current the current platform...

 

I recently purchased a 2011 Silverado 1500, 5.3l, 6spd and I've noticed that the truck tends to "bogg" at certain speeds. Typically around 35 mph/ city driving. I have to really lean into the gas pedal to make the "bog" go away. Turning off Traction Control seems to help a bit but it still feels sluggish at low speeds. I do not know whether this is normal behavior from the 900/5.3/6 spd/ AFM configuration but it is certainly frustrating to have to slam the pedal down to get out of my own way while taking off from a light.

 

The best way I think that I can describe it is shifting into too high of a gear on a manual transmission.

 

Does this seem to be representative of this configuration? This is the only time it feels like the truck is underpowered - it almost seems like the computer tells the transmission to shift far too early (for fuel economy, perhaps? :cheers: ).

 

I've asked the technicians at the dealership about this and they give me the "you just need to get used to the 6 spd" spiel. I find it hard to believe that the addition 2 gears would add this sluggish nature to the shifting pattern. This is something that I experience on my 77 chevy c-10 3 speed manual.

 

So, is this normal? Is there a way to get the technicians to do more than lecture me on the behavior of the 6 speed transmission? Aside from manually disabling Traction control, is there anything that I can do to alleviate the issue?

 

Thanks in advance for the input!

levigarrett Enthusiast

levigarrett

Posted
Posted

Got a 09 with the 6 speed and get some weird stuff with my tranny too. Sometimes I will let off the gas and it will hold the rpm for a few seconds and wont slow without the brake. That happens around the 20 mph range. Other times it will shift and the tack will move up and down like its trying to drop a a gear.

 

I like the tranny and having the 6 gears but it just acts weird sometimes.

jvbronco Enthusiast

jvbronco

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Got a 09 with the 6 speed and get some weird stuff with my tranny too. Sometimes I will let off the gas and it will hold the rpm for a few seconds and wont slow without the brake. That happens around the 20 mph range. Other times it will shift and the tack will move up and down like its trying to drop a a gear.

 

I like the tranny and having the 6 gears but it just acts weird sometimes.

 

To me, it seems that these might both be computer issues. I do not know enough about the system and how it is supposed to act to know any better.

ChevyTech77 Senior Enthusiast

ChevyTech77

Posted
Posted

Search torque management. There are many discussions on this here in the forums. It's a normal factory calibrated operation of the engine and transmission.

kdixer Enthusiast

kdixer

Posted
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The 6spd takes a bit of time to "learn". The longer you drive the more it fine tunes deifferent things to accomplish the desired shifts that it is programmed to provide. The oem tuning does have it "short shifting" a bunch. It seems to hate to be in 1st and 2nd based on how quickly it shifts to a higher gear.

 

An aftermarket tune wakes it up a bunch. I had Black Bear raise my shift points slightly so it holds 1st gear a little longer. My biggest complaint was in a scenario where I was turning left onto a well traveled road. It would almost always go to 2nd gear before I could even get straight in the road. And then if you needed to romp on it a little to beat traffic it would downshift and race the rpm's. But with it holding 1st longer in the first place it is much more pleasant.

 

But even the oem tuning will settle in after a few hundred miles.

4wd Enthusiast

4wd

Posted
Posted

take off with 6 speed is a huge improvement over 4 speed...it accelerates like sport car. if yours does not behave like that then, you need to to tell the dealer to fix it or call GM

levigarrett Enthusiast

levigarrett

Posted
Posted
take off with 6 speed is a huge improvement over 4 speed...it accelerates like sport car. if yours does not behave like that then, you need to to tell the dealer to fix it or call GM

 

Mine accelerates fine and when my foot is in the peddle it acts fine. Just when I am taking it easy.....

 

Dealership fix something that did not throw a code.... :cheers::):lol::):lol::lol::lol:

 

Dealerships dont fix the problem before it occurs they fix problems that have already occurred... Like our govt...

ChevyTech77 Senior Enthusiast

ChevyTech77

Posted
Posted
Dealerships dont fix the problem before it occurs they fix problems that have already occurred... Like our govt...

Dealerships can do proactive things for issues, always have and always will IF, it is a known issue. Other than that, how to you fix something that you don't know will be an issue?

 

Did the doctor catch that case of cancer, and fix it, before it became cancer? Just sayin. :cheers:

 

As for the shifting issues, if you think it's the transmission only, drive it like a scalded dog for a few miles. I can make my trans shift two completely different ways in less than 10 miles of driving but that doesn't fix TM. Don't get me wrong, it will feel better but it will still be there.

BB tune to get rid of it completely or drive the snot out of it.

pm26 Senior Enthusiast

pm26

Posted
Posted
BB tune to get rid of it completely or drive the snot out of it,

and void your powertrain warranty.

 

It should be obvious that GM used strict torque management settings to minimize powertrain abuse so they could offer the 10 year/100k miles powertrain warranty.

sic lsx Senior Enthusiast

sic lsx

Posted
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yeah i have 100k/100k not 35k/100k so sucks i wont have a tune for a while. I put in tow haul mode sometimes like getting on interstate. i bet u like it more

MikeNH Senior Enthusiast

MikeNH

Posted
Posted

I keep my truck in M4 around town. Much better response. Did the same with my 03 (though 3rd in that case) and in my Tacoma (4th for that truck). Modern transmissions are programmed to get into high gears fast for fuel economy and it can be a drag. I never keep my truck in "D", but use the manual mode to control what the top gear will be. On my work commute it starts in M4 (speeds up to 45 or so), then on a faster road I'll put it in 5th (45-55) and then finally on the highway 6th gear.

alvocado Enthusiast

alvocado

Posted
Posted
Just remember if you do a custom tune and have a driveline failure your warranty 5 yrs 100000 miles will be voided.

 

The manufacturer must prove a failure is directly a result of a modification to deny a warranty claim. Reference the Magnusson Moss Act which was put in place for this very reason.

jvbronco Enthusiast

jvbronco

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Running the trans in M4 helps quite a bit as well, in town.

 

Thanks for the responses. Seems like the TM is in place to reduce wear on the drivetrain so that GM can competitively offer the 10yr/100k warrantee. Fair enough.

 

Will I induce any unnecessary wear by driving in M4 around town, then using 5 & 6 for higher speeds? This sounds like a great ("why didn't I think of that") idea. Any other thoughts on this?

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